Method for initializing a game, and a gaming machine

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a method for initializing a desired game in an electronic gaming machine, in which a predefined fee has to be paid in order to play the game and the events of the game are displayed on a screen. According to the invention
         the player is offered the following alternatives a) he can decline the offer of a preliminary game which is played before the desired game, or b) he can play this preliminary game,   if he declines the preliminary game, the main game is played with predefined chances of winning and predefined win amounts,   when the preliminary game, which permits only a win or a loss—i.e. without setting or paying a win amount—, is selected and after it is played, the win or loss of the preliminary game is established,   the main game is played when the preliminary game is won,   and, when the preliminary game is lost, game play is ended, the money inserted is lost, and the gaming machine may offer the player the stated alternatives again.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a method for initializing a desired game in anelectronic gaming machine, in which a predefined fee has to he paid inorder to play the game and the events of the game are displayed on ascreen, and to a gaming machine for playing electronic games,inparticular games of chance, having a control unit for controlling theevents of the game which are displayed on a screen, it being possiblefor the player to influence said events of the game using controldevices connected to the control unit in particular for carrying out theabove-mentioned method.

The aim of the invention is to make playing electronic gaming machinesmore diverse and more interesting by redesigning game play shown on ascreen. The intention is to increase the incentive to play, inparticular through an increased number of wins or higher wins and/orthrough acceptable and clear risks.

These electronic gaming machines may be any gaming machines, for exampleslot machines, poker machines, roulette machines and bingo machines, inwhich the player is credited with a win amount after successfullycompleting a game. These known electronic gaming machines which form thebasis of the invention comprise a screen on which the events of the gametake place, and also all of the necessary devices for playing the game,for inserting money, and for releasing it through corresponding releasemechanisms etc.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the invention, a method of the type mentioned in theintroduction is characterized by the features listed in thecharacterizing part of claim 1. A gaming machine according to theinvention, in particular for carrying out the method according to theinvention, is characterized by the features listed in the characterizingpart of claim 5.

One essential feature of the invention is that, after paying the fee,the player is offered the opportunity to complete a preliminary game toa game which is selected by him and can be played on the gaming machine.The player can select this preliminary game or decline it. If the playerdeclines the preliminary game, the main game offered by the gamingmachine is played and offers the player the chances of winning and/orwin amounts which are defined in advance or are known to the player.

If the player selects the preliminary game, he faces a certain risksince the preliminary game can end in a loss or win. The player can playthe desired main game only if the preliminary game ends in a win. Thereis therefore a danger of the player losing his money in the preliminarygame and not being able to play the main game at all.

In particular, the preliminary game and the main game should beconsidered to be one game for which the fee has to be paid or selectedbefore starting the preliminary game.

Using this procedure, the player is given more incentive to play, inparticular when—as provided in claim 2—the chances of winning and/or thewin amounts for the subsequent main game or a number of subsequent maingames are increased upon successful completion of the preliminary game.The player can select certain, in particular predefined, probabilitiesof winning the preliminary game which are either at a fixed level orwhose level can be selected by the player as desired. If the playerdeclines the preliminary game or chooses a 100% probability of winningthe preliminary game, he does not have any better chances of winningand/or win amounts for at least one subsequent main game; however, ifthe player does take a certain risk in the preliminary game, the chancesof winning and/or the win amounts for the subsequent main game areincreased, for example linearly, depending on the selected probabilityof winning.

The invention provides for a further display region to be provided onthe screen in addition to the display region provided for displaying theevents of the game, and for this further display region to be able tographically show the events of the preliminary game and/or theprobability of winning the preliminary game selected by the player.

Provision may be made for the control unit to comprise an option unitfor probabilities of winning which can be operated by the player andwhich he can use to set or select different probabilities of winning thepreliminary game, these probabilities of winning optionally beingdisplayed and/or provided on a display unit, and provision may be madefor the option unit and the selection unit to be combined to form acommon unit, using which a preliminary game can be selected and theprobabilities of winning the preliminary game can be defined, forexample by pressing a control key or a control field a number of times.

The control devices which are available to the player may be in the formof touchscreen fields on the screen which displays the events of thegame, so that the player can control the game, in particular select ordecline to play a preliminary game, and/or can set or select his desiredprobability of winning the preliminary game merely by touching thecorresponding fields.

Advantageous embodiments of the invention can be found in the followingdescription, drawings and patent claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of the screen of a gaming machinewith the control unit which controls the events of the game. FIGS. 1 a,1 b and 1 c show an option unit with different chances of winning apreliminary game.

FIG. 2 shows an alternative embodiment of an option unit.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The gaming machine 20 for playing an electronic game indicated in FIG. 1comprises, in a housing 21, a screen 1 on which the events of the gameare displayed for the player in an optionally delimited display region8. The present case illustrates a slot machine in which the player isshown a number of symbols, and a win can be achieved as a function ofhow many identical symbols are shown. In other types of gaming machines,different illustrations appear in the display region 8.

The player is provided with a number of control devices 3, in particularin the form of touchscreen fields on the screen 1. However, it is alsopossible to arrange the control devices outside the screen 1 in the formof keys or buttons known from gaming machines of this type. In additionto a start field 5, with which the player can start the gaming machine1, an EXIT field for ending the game, a BANK field for displayingcredit, a CANCEL field for correcting incorrect operations, a CREDITfield for displaying playing credit, and an OPTION field 6 which will beexplained later may be provided. Further control devices 3 may beprovided if required.

When the SELECT field 4 is operated, the player can elect to play anoffered preliminary game which is played before the main game played onthe display region 8. In order to play the preliminary game, a furtherdisplay region 9 on which the events of the preliminary game aregraphically displayed can be provided on the screen 1. The preliminarygame could also be played in the display region 8. This preliminary gameends in a win or a loss and is generally played without a win amountbeing paid out. The sole aim of this preliminary game is to establishpermission for the player to play the main game which is displayed inthe display region 8.

If the player does not select a preliminary game using the SELECT field4, the money inserted by the player is used to directly play the maingame. If the player selects a preliminary game, he can specify certainprobabilities of winning the preliminary game. For this purpose, anOPTION field 6 is provided which, when it is operated, can define theprobability of winning the preliminary game, with a selection unit 10 ofthe control device 2 consequently altering the probabilities of winningand/or the win amounts at least for the subsequent main game as afunction of the probability of winning selected for the preliminarygame. Lower probabilities of winning the preliminary game result inhigher probabilities of winning and/or win amounts for at least onesubsequent main game. The selection unit 10 and/or the control unit 2correspondingly control a win display 13 which displays the potentialwin amounts for the main game which is reached when the preliminary gameis won.

The SELECT field 4 and the OPTION field 6 can be combined to form asingle field, and the corresponding selections can then be made bytouching or operating this field or a corresponding key a number oftimes in succession.

In FIG. 1, a pointer 15 which can be rotated in a circular displayregion 9, for example in accordance with the indicated arrow, isprovided in order to carry out the events of a potential preliminarygame; however no preliminary game has been selected in the illustrationin FIG. 1. The selected and shown probability of winning is 100%, or noprobability of winning selected by the player has been displayed.

FIG. 1 a shows that the player has set a 50% probability of winning thepreliminary game. The probability of winning is indicated by the shadedsurface area 16 which is associated with a loss and in the illustratedexemplary embodiment according to FIG. 1 a is 50% of the circular areaof the display region 9. The preliminary game involves the pointer 15revolving around its middle point and then stopping either in the shadedregion 16 or in the unshaded region 17. If the pointer stops in theunshaded region 17, the preliminary game is judged to have been won; ifthe pointer stops in the shaded region 16, this means the preliminarygame has been lost. There is a 50:50 chance of this happening.

In FIG. 1 b, the display region 9 shows a selected probability ofwinning of 25%, as can be seen by the fact that the shaded area 16 whichis associated with a loss has been expanded to 75% of the area of thedisplay region 9.

FIG. 1 c shows a 1:2 probability of winning; the shaded area 16 is halfthe size of the area 17.

The probabilities of winning can also be displayed, for example, bycorrespondingly illuminating the display region 9, for example the basecolor of the circular field 9 in FIG. 1 may be green and the partialarea 16 of the region 9, which corresponds to the probability of losingor a loss, is red.

The probabilities of winning which the player selects for thepreliminary game have a predefined influence at least on the subsequentmain game; the lower the probability of winning the preliminary game isselected to be, the higher the selection unit 10 sets the chances ofwinning and/or win amounts which are shown on the display 13.

FIG. 2 shows an alternative display region 9 for displaying the eventsof the preliminary game. The display region 9 is divided by a separatingregion 18 which can be moved in accordance with the illustrated arrow.The display region 9 is divided into a shaded region 16, for example aloss region, and into an unshaded region 17, for example a win region,in accordance with the probability of winning selected by the player;the larger the region 17, the greater is the probability of winning thepreliminary game. The position of the divider 18 can be defined by theplayer correspondingly operating the option field 6 and/or the commonunit. If the divider 18 is at the right-hand edge, there is no area 16which corresponds to a loss and the probability of winning thepreliminary game is 100%. The preliminary game is declined at thissetting.

Any desired design or shape can be selected for the display region 9provided for the preliminary game. According to FIG. 2, the size of thearea of the two regions 16 and 17 can—as illustrated—be selected andsaid areas can be of different colors. In order to play the preliminarygame, the areas 16 and 17 flash red and green, one immediately after theother; if the area 17 goes green after a corresponding period of time,the preliminary game is won. If the field 16 goes red, the preliminarygame is lost. The preliminary game is played and the chances of winningare selected in a display region 9 in a manner linked to one another.The selected probability of winning, that is to say the size of the area16 in relation to the size of the area 17 selected, is set by the playeroperating the OPTION field 6. The game, which is played out by thepointer 15 rotating and correspondingly stopping in one of the fields 16or 17, or by the areas 16 and 17 flashing alternately and the last litarea 16 or 17 being selected, is carried out by random number generators11 in the control unit 2 in accordance with random criteria.

The events of the game, both in the display region 8 and in the furtherdisplay region 9, are controlled by random number generators 11 providedin the control unit 2.

In order to keep the player happy despite an all too high or riskysetting or choice of chances of winning the preliminary game, thecontrol unit 2 may comprise a win-determining unit 12 which grants theplayer a random win when it establishes that a certain number ofpreliminary games have been lost. It is then possible to award a winamount for a preliminary game determined in this way when the number ofwins achieved deviates too far toward the loss side from the statisticalaverage on account of the events of the game played out in accordancewith statistical rules.

Provision may be made for the control unit 2, when it establishes thatthe player has won the preliminary game, to play or start the main gameimmediately after the preliminary game, or for a start key 5 (START) tobe provided for the player which can be used to initialize or start themain game, possibly after a further fee has been paid, with the controlunit 2, when it establishes that the preliminary game is lost, allowinga new preliminary game to be started and collecting the fee or deductingit from the player's credit account.

It is expedient if the control unit 2 and/or the selection unit 10and/or the random number generator 11 and/or the win-determining unit 12are formed by a microprocessor, or form part of a microprocessor orcomputer.

In principle, it is possible to use any games as the preliminary game.The probability of winning the preliminary game may also be displayedseparately from the display region of the preliminary game.

I claim:
 1. A method for initializing a desired game in an electronicgaming machine, wherein a predefined fee is required to be paid to playthe game and game events are displayed on a screen, the method whichcomprises: offering to a player the following alternatives: a) play thepreliminary game, and select or define different probabilities orchances of winning the preliminary game, the preliminary game onlypermitting a win or a loss without setting or paying a win amount, theplayer selecting or defining the different probabilities or chances ofwinning from a range of possible probabilities or chances; and b)decline an offer to play a preliminary game before the desired game; theelectronic gaming machine being configured to: if the player declinesthe preliminary game, play the desired game with predefined chances ofwinning and predefined win amounts; and if the player selects thepreliminary game, and, after the preliminary game has been played,establish a preliminary win or a preliminary loss; in case of apreliminary win, playing the desired game, and adjusting chances ofwinning and/or win amounts for the desired game or a predefined numberof desired games in dependence on the probabilities or chances ofwinning selected by the player; all of the wins in the preliminary gameare determined with the chances or probabilities of winning beingpredefined according to statistical or random criteria; in case of apreliminary loss, terminating game play, and optionally offering thealternatives a) and b); and when a number of preliminary games are lostor when the desired game is not reached very often, determiningadditional possibilities of winning and/or win amounts according tostatistical criteria and granting the additional possibilities.
 2. Themethod according to claim 1, which comprises determining all of the winsin the preliminary game and in the desired game with the chances orprobabilities of winning being predefined according to statistical orrandom criteria.
 3. A gaming apparatus for playing an electronic game,comprising: a control unit for controlling events of the game and ascreen connected to said control unit for displaying events of the game;control devices connected to said control unit for enabling a player toinfluence the events of the game; said control devices including aselection unit connected to said control unit and operable by theplayer, the selection unit enabling the player to call up or initializea preliminary game prior to a main game; an option unit connected tosaid control unit and operable by the player to set or select differentprobabilities of winning in the preliminary game, the option unitconfigured to allow the player to set or select the differentprobabilities of winning from a range of possible probabilities; saidoption unit and said selection unit being combined to form a common unitenabling a preliminary game to be selected and the probabilities ofwinning the preliminary game to be defined; said control unit configuredto carry out a method for initializing a desired game in an electronicgaming machine, wherein a predefined fee is required to be paid to playthe game and game events are displayed on a screen, the method includingthe steps of: offering to a player the following alternatives: a) playthe preliminary game, and set or select different probabilities ofwinning the preliminary game, the preliminary game only permitting a winor a loss without setting or paying a win amount; and b) decline anoffer to play a preliminary game before the desired game; if the playerdeclines the preliminary game, playing the desired game with predefinedchances of winning and predefined win amounts; if the player selects thepreliminary game, and, after the preliminary game has been played,establishing a preliminary win or a preliminary loss; in case of apreliminary win, playing the desired game, and adjusting chances ofwinning and/or win amounts for the desired game or a predefined numberof desired games in dependence on the probabilities or chances ofwinning selected by the player; in case of a preliminary loss,terminating game play, and optionally offering the alternatives a) andb).
 4. The gaming apparatus according to claim 3 configured for playinggames of chance.
 5. The gaming apparatus according to claim 3, whereinsaid screen is adapted to display events of the preliminary game, andthe probabilities of winning the preliminary game are displayed on adisplay region.
 6. The gaming apparatus according to claim 3, whereinsaid control unit, upon determining that the player has won thepreliminary game, plays or starts the main game immediately after thepreliminary game.
 7. The gaming apparatus according to claim 3, whichcomprises a start key enabling the player to initialize or start themain game, optionally after payment of a fee for playing the main game.8. The gaming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said control unit,upon determining that the preliminary game has been lost, allows a newpreliminary game to be started and collects the fee or debits theplayer's account.
 9. The gaming apparatus according to claim 3, whereinsaid screen has a main display region for displaying the events of thegame, and a further display region for graphically showing events of thepreliminary game and/or probabilities of winning the preliminary gameselected by the player.
 10. The gaming apparatus according to claim 3,wherein said common unit is a touchscreen field, and the probabilitiesof winning are selectable by pressing the touchscreen field a givennumber of times.
 11. The gaming apparatus according to claim 3, whereinsaid control unit comprises a presetting or selection unit forprobabilities of winning and/or the level of win amounts for the maingame, and said presetting or selection unit is connected to said commonunit or is controlled by said common unit.
 12. The gaming apparatusaccording to claim 3, wherein said control unit comprises a presettingor selection unit for probabilities of winning and/or the level of winamounts for the main game, and said presetting or selection unit isconnected to said option unit.
 13. The gaming apparatus according toclaim 3, wherein said control unit includes at least one random numbergenerator for determining results of at least one of the preliminarygame and the main game.
 14. The gaming apparatus according to claim 3,wherein said control unit includes a win-determining unit for thepreliminary game configured to allocate wins to the player or to allowthe player to win a preliminary game in dependence on a number ofpreliminary games which that have been played and/or in dependence onthe predefined chances of winning.
 15. The gaming apparatus according toclaim 14, wherein said control unit is configured to determine whetherthe preliminary game has been, even if the game has been lost, independence on a number of preliminary games having been played.
 16. Thegaming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said control unit isconfigured to define the probabilities of winning and/or the win amountsat least of one main game following a successful preliminary game as afunction of a probability of winning selected by the player for thepreliminary game.
 17. The gaming apparatus according to claim 16,wherein the probabilities of winning and/or the win amounts are definedwith a linear dependence.
 18. The gaming apparatus according to claim 3,which further comprises a win display, optionally connected to saidselection unit and displaying the win amounts predefined for the maingame and/or the win amounts altered by the probabilities of winningselected for the preliminary game.
 19. The gaming apparatus according toclaim 3, wherein at least one of said control unit, said selection unit,a random number generator, and a win-determining unit are formed by amicroprocessor.
 20. The gaming apparatus according to claim 3, whereinat least one of said control unit, said selection unit, a random numbergenerator, and a win-determining unit form a part of a computer.